Legendary boxing trainer not stopping at age 80
Trainer Eric Baloyi turns 80 but continues training
The Village Voice Age Seems to be just a number as Limpopo’s legendary amateur boxing trainer Risimati Eric Baloyi continues in his trade of training amateur boxers at the age of 80. When he turned 80 last week Baloyi remarked that “these things of birth days are not for me. I was reminded about the day by my daughter, Vulani an advocate based in Mpumalanga when she phoned to wish me a happy one ” Asked what his age meant about his boxing trade, he said:”I will be a trainer as long as I am able to stand and walk.” Baloyi is not an ordinary trainer.
Starting with his son Cassius who is also a boxing legend who has held five boxing titles in three divisions, he has trainer many amateur boxers who went on to be household names in South Africa and internationally. Some of the boxers who went through his tutelage include Isaac Hlatshwayo, Australia based Lovemore Ndou, Phillip Ndou, Jeffrey Mathebula, to mention a few.
He is training boxers from the Malamulele Boxing Gym that he requested the government to build after he acquired the government to build. Two years ago, he received a nod of approval from the highest office in the land when president Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa awarded him the Order of Ikhamanga in silver for his role in developing youth in sports. Presenting the award to him, the president praised him “for developing youth in boxing who ended up excelling and make South Africa proud internationally ” Prenoman Chabani of the Tsatsi Media that brought boxing to Malamulele for the first time when it hosted the professional boxing at Malamulele Boxing gym said that was in honour of the venerable Baloyi.
Tsatsa Media has given Baloyi a trophy and cash as an acknowledgement of his contribution to boxing. One of the professional boxers produced by Baloyi Isaac “The Angel” Hlatshwayo praised Baloyi for his role in developing youths. “He the father of boxing not only for Malamulele but the whole country, ” said the Angel The Village Voice also wishes him well on his birth day.
